But now, seeing the way everyone was wrapping Ross’s mum and dad in so much kindness and love, Evie had to admit that Sophia was right. Coming together was deeply powerful and, for the first time, she felt a glimmer of hope that maybe he just might pull through.
At the end of the service, she pushed Freya down the path in her wheelchair, through crowds of people shaking her hand and wishing her well. They gave Evie their love and tentatively asked her to pass on their good wishes to Ross.
Freya smiled at them all, but Evie could see she was exhausted. “Let’s get you to the hospital. Look, the ambulance is here to take you back. I’ll come with you.”
“No, Evie,” said Freya. Her voice was still faint but she was firm. “Have some time away from the hospital, worrying about me and Ross. You’ve been living like a hermit. You need to stay and talk with your friends. It’s important.”
She waved at Evie as she was carefully placed in the ambulance and taken back to her hospital bed. Evie did as she was told and mingled with the crowds outside the tiny chapel. Gradually people melted away and she was on her own.
She walked down to the shore, sank to her knees and gave a loud grief-stricken wail like a wounded animal. She heard footsteps behind her. “Evie. I am so, so sorry. You must be shattered.”
Evie turned round to see Liv, who had a genuine look of sadness and concern on her face. Liv went to help her up and Evie collapsed into her sister’s arms and sobbed until she thought her heart would shatter into a million pieces.
She managed to wail pitifully, “Oh Liv. I am pure poison. I bring death and pain wherever I go. First Brodie and now Ross. If he dies too, it will be all my fault.”
Liv gripped her by the shoulders. “I’m not having that,” she said firmly but kindly. “Brodie died because I was a jealous bitch and he dived into freezing water with a bad heart. It had nothing to do with you.”
Evie continued to cry. Liv cupped her sister’s face with both hands and looked at her intently. It was as though she was trying to pour her own strength into Evie.
“Ross is lying in a hospital bed because that Amelia was pure evil. Again, it wasn’t your fault.” Evie gave her a watery smile. She wiped her face with the back of her hand.
“We’ve never talked like this.”
Liv gave a wry grin, “Can you tell I’ve been in therapy?”
Evie’s tears began welling up again. “Oh Liv, it could all have been so different.”
“It will be from now on,” said Liv. “I don’t expect us to become proper sisters overnight, but if you give me a chance, I would like to help you through this. That’s if you want me to.”
Evie hugged her sister tightly and thought that this was the only good thing to come out of the whole sorry mess.
“You know, Liv. I never thanked you properly for all that you did. You made sure Amelia didn’t get away with it.”
Liv replied, “Well, we still have some ordeals ahead. We need to get Ross and Freya better, and there’s the trial for a start. It’s not going to be easy, but we will be stronger if we face it together.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
The Balfour Hospital
The day after the service, Evie was back sitting beside Ross in his hospital bed, her voice hoarse from constantly talking to him and reading his favourite childhood books, which she had found on a shelf in his room at his parents’ house.
She hasn’t expected to be readingTom Sawyerto a grown man, but she’d do anything to bring him back. After each chapter she would beg him to open his eyes. But he lay like a marble statue, the only signs of life being the machines he was hooked up to that made his chest rise and fall.
He hadn’t made any improvement, but crucially he wasn’t any worse and Edwyn assured her that was a good sign. She checked in on Freya, who continued to defy the doctors and was constantly asking when she could go home. It wouldn’t be long now.
When she wasn’t at the hospital, Evie spent time with Ross’s parents, trying to reassure them and remain positive. She felt closer to Ross sitting with them in the family home and hearing stories about his childhood. His mum proudly showed her lots of photographs of him as a boy and a young man, and Evie grew to love him even more.
She put down the book, held his hand and bent down to whisper goodbye when she felt a tiny movement in his fingers.Her voice shaking, she said loudly, “Ross if you can hear me, squeeze my hand.”
Nothing happened.
“Come on, my love. I know you can hear me. Just hold my hand tightly. You can do it.” She felt a tiny twitch of movement and tried not to overreact. It could just be her imagination. She wanted Ross to wake up so badly that maybe she was fooling herself.
She felt a stronger grip on her hand and looked up at Ross’s face and saw his eyes flicker. She gasped. “Oh my God, he’s coming back to me.”
She pressed the emergency buzzer and a doctor came rushing in. He took one look at Ross and grinned. “This is what we hoped for. He’s finally coming round.”
Evie hugged the startled medic and started to cry tears of pure joy.
